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2006 Forx Film Fest
Category: Fargo Filmmaking Wiki Category: Film Festival The fifth annual Forx Film Fest was held November 3-5, 2006 at the Empire Arts Center in Grand Forks, North Dakota. To accommodate the largest ever number of submissions, the festival was extended to a third day and Honorable Mentions were named in addition to the awards in each competitive category. The first and last features on the schedule were non-competitive. Opening the festival was another classic film that played at the historic Empire Theatre, Cecil B. DeMille's sophisticated sex comedy Why Change Your Wife, starring Gloria Swanson, Thomas Meighan, and Bebe Daniels. Originally it had been booked for the theatre's one-year anniversary in November 1920, and held over a third day after the two initially advertised. Closing this year's Forx Film Fest was Music to My Ears, a new backstage musical comedy-drama that was co-produced by and largely shot in the Empire Arts Center. Awards and Award Winners ::Best Feature: Beyond Bob :::Honorable Mention Feature: Grown Men ::Best Short: Bill and Meriwether's Excellent Adventure :::Honorable Mention Short: One in Nine (first 45 minutes) :::Honorable Mention Short: Say Goodbye to Benji ::Best Documentary: Survey on Cyprus: An Archaeological Documentary :::Honorable Mention Documentary: Moorhead Library: 100 Years Old ::Best Music Video: A Message :::Honorable Mention Music Video: Soliloquy ::Best Student Production: No Use in Cryin' :::Honorable Mention Student Production: Avow :::Honorable Mention Student Production: They Walk Among Us :::Honorable Mention Student Production: Bonsai ::Audience Favorite: One in Nine :::Honorable Mention Audience Favorite: Grown Men :::Honorable Mention Audience Favorite: Say Goodbye to Benji The schedule for the fifth year of the fest was as follows: November 3 Friday Evening Session * Why Change Your Wife? (1920) directed by Cecil B. DeMille, 91 min. ::This sophisticated romantic comedy from DeMille's "Marital trilogy" depicts a young wife's conservative tastes and perfectionism driving her husband into the arms of a more lively and stylish woman. But things (and people) are not always what they seem. The film first played at this theatre November 8-10, 1920. * North of Nowhere (2006) directed by Megan Vaughan ::A student-made documentary dealing with the alternative music scene in Fargo-Moorhead. * All Blowed Up directed by Megan Vaughan ::A music video for the band Les Dirty Frenchmen * Eye of the Beholder (2006) directed by Charles Hinton ::After years of abuse, Haddy Nice finds the man of her dreams, and quickly learns that some things are not what they appear to be. * Move directed by Cody Redmer ::In this music video, a student struggles with a problem he can't shake, mixed with live footage of the band Thousand Foot Krutch. * Slipping Away (2006) directed by Dustin Burnett and Clint Mannie ::In this student-made drama, a hockey star loses the big game. * Twilight of the Dead (2006) directed by Andrew Soucek and Dustin Burnett ::In this student-made comedy, an old friend comes back from the dead to hang out. * Avow directed by Elijah Larson and Jesse Nelson ::A student-made documentary dealing with the subject of self-injury and self-harm. * The Most Common Fatalities Associated with Residence Hall Living (2006) directed by Maxwell Heesch ::A student-made mock instructional video about "common" ways of expiration in and about college residence halls. * Beyond Bob (1995) directed by John Gaspard, 95 min. ::Live fast. Die young. Come back for seconds. This Minnesota-made feature, shot on 16mm film, is a story of passion from beyond the grave, of a love that was made in heaven... and was just too darned important to stay there. November 4 Saturday Morning Session * Panel discussion on independent filmmaking with area film instructors and filmmakers, with audience Q&A Saturday Afternoon Session * Credit for Tri-ing directed by Jesse James Linstad ::This documentary is a humorous look at four days in the lives of an amateur tri-athlete and a filmmaker. * Bill and Meriwether's Excellent Adventure (2006) directed by Tom Brandau ::In the fall of 1804 Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, and the Corps of Discovery halted the progress of their expedition several hundred miles up the Missouri River and made preparations to winter in a Mandan village... or did they? What if the Lewis & Clark Expedition never got any farther than St. Louis? * Lewis and Clark (2005) directed by Les Sholes ::This Lewis and Clark comedy spoof was made for television and depicts real-life characters and their situation on a comic level, keeping the project historically correct. Sholes blends fact and fiction, using actual events that took place during the 1804-1806 expedition. * Moorhead Library: 100 Years Old (2006) directed by Mel Stone ::A look back on how Moorhead, Minnesota got a public library, on the occasion of its 100th anniversary. * Soliloquy (2006) directed by Daniel Bruns and Cody Redmer ::In this music video, a suicidal high school student decides that there is hope and that life is worth living after all. * Theatre Seniors 2005! directed by Brian Heald ::A student-made collection of short, humorous and descriptive pieces on each of the senior Concordia theatre students, detailing their experiences. * Just-N-Tymes (2006) directed by Charles Hinton ::A short documentary shot at a Fargo drag show. From the festival program: "Check out Fargo's hottest Drag Queen, "Just-N-Tyme" and her sizzling fair maidens as they strut their stuff in a live performance that will get you to dancing and singing, while mesmerizing you with wonder, vigor and excitement." * Say Goodbye to Benji (2006) directed by Martin Jonason ::A young man is hitchhiking through North Dakota. He is out of cash and needs to eat. He passes a church, and seeing a catering truck, decides to join the funeral for food. Those attending mistake him for "Benji's" best friend who spent time in the mountains of Peru with him in the Peace Corps. How far will "Henry" play the false identity for a free meal? * Rook's Caskit (2006) directed by Chris Dorfschmidt ::After the violent killing of a local girl, Detective Malcolm Rook leads his specialized team in solving a case... but is it bigger than he suspects? Saturday Evening Session * Matryoshka (2005) directed by Michael Stromenger ::One man's heartbreak becomes another person's pain in this student production. * No Use in Cryin' directed by Mark Joseph and Nick Armbruster ::A student movie about how people blame everyone and everything around them for all their own problems without looking at what they contributed themselves. * Zom B'otch directed by Travis Mattick ::In this student production, a Zombie looks for love, but has trouble showing her feelings...with dire results...of love!!! * Bonsai directed by Travis Mattick ::This student-made narrative explores a dream sequence and its results on the dreamer. Recorded on Super 8mm film, all the visual editing and special effects were done by hand. * Resurrection directed by Noah T. Ferche ::Friends wakeboarding and hanging out having a good time. * Oyster Boy (2005) directed by Laurel Hasbargen and Jill Anderson ::Ten fingers, ten toes, he had plumbing and sight. He could hear, he could feel, but normal? Not quite. * The Manimal directed by Jon Meyer ::Three young friends confront a horrific creature that is half man, half animal, all terror in this student short. * Holiday "Mexico" directed by Cameron White ::A music video for the band Holiday and their song "Mexico," filmed over two nights at the House of Rock in Fargo, North Dakota, with additional footage provided by the band. * They Walk Among Us (2006) directed by Gabriel Wimmer ::A short student-made mockumentary about the civil rights movement for zombies. * Spring Jam 9 (2006) directed by Charles Hinton ::A short documentary shot at a Fargo rap competition. From the festival program: "Get down wit J-Sauce and his crew as they rock the mic live and keep it live up here in Fargo. Yer heard!" * One in Nine (2006) (first 45 minutes) directed by Michael Stromenger ::Nine prisoners face a challenge that will leave only one of them alive. This is the first section of a feature-length movie. * Grown Men (2003) directed by John Gaspard ::This Minnesota-made digital feature was winner for Best Screenplay at the Black Point Film Festival. Funny. Sexy. Sad. Bizarre. And uplifting. These are the stories recounted in Grown Men. Old friends regale each other with stories late at night, and in the process reveal what it means to be a grown man... and demonstrate how far they have to go to become one. November 5 Sunday Afternoon Session * Survey on Cyprus: An Archaeological Documentary (2006) directed by Josiah Patrow ::Shot with UND professor Dr. William Caraher while the filmmaker was a grad student in the department of history, Survey on Cyprus chronicles the methodology behind the Pyla-Koutsopetria Archaeological Project, following its team study in an area outside the city of Larnaka for clues about life in ancient Cyprus. * Blue Notes directed by Jesse Jamees Linstad and David Johnson ::In this student movie, a talented musician struggles with addiction. * Buddies (2006) directed by Collin Brumskill and Nathin Voeller ::A group of buddies make bets with each other, and later find themselves locked out of their apartment in this student project from the UND Summer Movie Camp. * The Pond (2006) directed by Lewis Bachmeier ::A boy must deal with causing the accidental death of his brother in this student project from the UND Summer Movie Camp. * Bob's Date (2006) directed by Josh Greer ::A boy tries to impress a pretty girl in this student project from the UND Summer Movie Camp. * Remember Me! (2006) directed by Sarah Palm ::A high school girl suddenly finds that others have difficulty recognizing her in this student project from the UND Summer Movie Camp. * The Art of Effort (2005) directed by Kyja Kristjansson-Nelson ::This short documentary is a portrait of art and music therapy for Arab-Israeli children with disabilities. These children, anonymous by parents' choice, are surrounded by political and cultural differences, but their education is possible due to cooperative effort between Bedouin and Jewish communities in the Neger. * For the Children directed by Kyja Kristjansson-Nelson ::A short documentary set in the village of Kalansua, located in Israel near the West Bank border, where Arab-Israeli children with disabilities receiv education and treatment thanks to cooperative work between Arabs and Jews, despite the conflict that surrounds them. * Portraits & Testimonies 2: David Nickel (2005) directed by Kyja Kristjansson-Nelson * Portraits & Testimonies 3: Cris Sequeira (2005) directed by Kyja Kristjansson-Nelson * Portraits & Testimonies 4: Mark Borchardt (2005) directed by Kyja Kristjansson-Nelson * Portraits & Testimonies 5: Mike Schank (2005) directed by Kyja Kristjansson-Nelson * Portraits & Testimonies 6: Mae Meier (2006) directed by Kyja Kristjansson-Nelson ::A series of one-minute, animated documentary portraits. * Library Rose directed by Angie Fladland ::In this student production, a young man must overcome his fears to pursue his true love in the library. * Father's Day directed by Kerry Brees ::In this student production, a young boy gains a new perspective on life after meeting his estranged father. * One Heckuva Long Winter (2006) directed by Laurel Hasbargen ::A documentary looking into the strange pastime of ice fishing in Northern Minnesota. * A Message (2006) directed by Daniel Bruns ::In this music video, a young man remembers the precious moments he had with his girlfriend, whom he broke up with, and decides to repair the relationship. * Music to My Ears (2006) directed by Christopher P. Jacobs, 119 min. ::This movie musical was co-produced by the Empire Arts Center, so was not entered into competition. The plot deals with an old movie theatre that is closing and slated to be destroyed. A group of interested people decide to put on a show to save the theatre. The movie features music from the early 20th century.